Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Carnival of Homeschooling ~ Alasandra's Garden

Gardening and homeschooling have a lot in common. Most gardeners research what grows well in their area, have a plan for their garden, purchase plants, then water, fertilize and prune their plants as needed. Flower beds are weeded as needed.

Homeschoolers often researchhomeschooling, homeschooling methods and learning styles before embarking on their homeschooling journey. Plans are made for the school year, books and supplies are purchased, lessons are taught, school work is assigned and reviewed (graded) and plans revised as needed.

Columbines are found in many parts of North America in different colors and shapes. Look for them beside rivers, in the woods, in the rough terrain of the Rocky Mountains and in many home gardens. They are extremely easy to grow and reproduce by scattering their own seeds. Amy @ Hope Is the Word presents Read Aloud Thursday?Snow! posted at Hope Is the Word.

Encore® Azaleas are the only patented brand of azaleas to bloom in spring,summer and fall. I expected them to do well as we live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast but they proved not to be as hardy as the regular Azaleas we have. We planted three and this is the only one that survived. It's beautiful blooms make it a joy to behold throughout the year.

I have a purple and white Devil's Trumpet that I grew from seeds. The Angel Trumpets haven't produced seeds so far, but I have managed to root them from cuttings. I have both pink and yellow and hope to purchase a white one this year.

My Stokes Aster pretty much thrives all year, if we have a really hard frost it will die back but as soon as the temperatures warm up it will start to come out again. Produces lovely blooms from mid spring into the summer for me.

This is rather bizarre, my Carolina Yellow Jasmine is blooming in January. We are having really strange weather here, colder then average temperatures, less rain then usual and the plants are behaving oddly.

Annual Marigolds can be used anywhere to deter Mexican bean beetles, squash bugs, tomato hornworms, and whiteflies. They are also known to repel harmful root knot nematodes (soil dwelling microscopic white worms) that attack tomatoes, potatoes, roses, and strawberries. The root of the Marigold produces a chemical that kills nematodes as they enter the soil. If a whole area is infested, at the end of the season, turn the Marigolds under so the roots will decay in the soil. You can safely plant there again the following spring.

It’s quite an honor to have a plant named after you. It’s an even bigger honor when that plant sports a flower with the most intoxicating fragrance in the world.

Dr. Alexander Garden, a Scottish physician and naturalist, moved to Charleston in 1752. He corresponded with English merchant John Ellis, who just happened to be a good friend of Carolus Linnaeus, the famous Swedish botanist. Linnaeus had developed the genus-and-species system for scientifically naming and classifying plants.

In 1758, Ellis visited a garden outside London to inspect an evergreen shrub thought to be a jasmine and blessed with powerfully scented double white flowers. Ellis doubted it was a true jasmine, and Linnaeus agreed. Ellis convinced Linnaeus to name the new find for his pen pal in Charleston, Alexander Garden. Enter the gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides). Fittingly, in 1762, the New World’s first gardenia was planted in Dr. Garden’s garden.

Once the Confederate Rose was pure white. During the Civil War, a soldier was fatally wounded in battle. He fell upon the rose as he lay dying. During the course of the two days he took to die, he bled more and more on the flower, till at last bloom was covered with his blood. When he died, the flower died with him. Thereafter, the Confederate Rose (or Cotton Rose), opens white, and over the course of the two days the bloom lasts, they turn gradually from white to pink to almost red, when the flower finally falls from the bush.

The Confederate Rose or hibiscus mutablis is actually a Chinese import. Brought into English gardens in the 1600's, it is said to have gained favor in the South due to its ease of cultivation during the hard financial times after the Civil War.

Zinnias are another member of the large Aster family of plants and originate in Mexico and the Southwest United States. They come in a form suitable for every garden situation, including single, double, cactus, dahlia, ruffles, and pompon. Colors include every shade except blue, and many are multicolored. Most are prolific bloomers that add beautiful color to the landscape, and many have growth habits that make wonderful additions to container plantings. The uses for Zinnias in the home garden are almost endless. Use them as border plants, fillers for bare spots in perennial gardens, or massed in a garden all their own.

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Everyone thank you for your submissions. If you submitted something and do not see it included my apologies. Just let me know and I'll be happy to add it. Please if you find a problem with a link let me know. I hope you enjoy the gardening tour. ~Alasandra

Welcome Goddesses of Spring

Hail, and welcome! Green life returns to the earth blooming and blossoming once more from the soil. We welcome you,goddesses of spring, Eostre, Persephone, Flora, Cybele, in the trees, in the soil, in the flowers, in the rains, and we are grateful for your presence.

Prayer to the Winter Goddess

O! Mighty goddess, in silvery ice,watching over us as we sleep,a layer of shining white,covering the earth each night,frost on the world and in the soul,we thank you for visiting us.Because of you, we seek warmthin the comfort of our homes and hearths.

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About Alasandra

Former Homeschool MomEldest son has a Masters in Computer ScienceYoungest son has a B.A. Degree in History with a minor in Political Science